Sliding-door lock.



PATENTED DEC. 13, 1904.,

I. N. SWEET.

SLIDING DOOR LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1, 1904.

2 SHEETS-BHBET 1.

. N0 MODEL.

No. 777,449. PATENTED DEC. 13, 1904. I. N. SWEET.

SLIDING DOOR LOOK.

APPLICATION rum) MAY 7, 1904. no MODEL. z SHEETS-SHEET z l a zng WWII/III n.

Patented December 13, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

IRA N. SWEET, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS.

SLlDlNG-i-DOOR LOCK...

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 777,449, dated December 13, 1904. Application filed May 7, 1904. Serial No. 206,9i4. (N0 model.)

To (LZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRA N. Swnn'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locks for Sliding Doors, of which the following is a specification.

One object of the invention is to provide a lock of this class of such construction that it will be relieved of the impact incident to the closing of the door. Ordinarily the end plate of the lock-case strikes the keeper as the door closes and acts as a stop; but according to the present invention the lock receives no part of the impact incident to stopping the door. To this end the end plate is provided with an opening for the admission of a stud, which takes the place of the keeper, and the face-plate is provided with a slot into which the stud passes laterally, the slot being oi such length that when the door is fully closed ample clearance is left between the end of the slot and the stud. The stud has an enlarged head for preventing its withdrawal end wise and a shank by which it is attached, and this shank is either straight or bent, as circumstances may require.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lock of such construction that no part of the lock proper or of the keeper shall project beyond the edge of the door or beyond the edge of the door-jamb, so as to be in the doorway and in position to catch upon the clothing when the door is open. To this end 1 locate the latch and other parts of the lock proper wholly within the boundary of the door, and 1 locate the stud which serves the purpose of a keeper wholly outside of the doorway.

Another object of the invention is to me vent picking the lock, and to this end the interior of the case is divided, by means of a partition, into two separate ehambersone for containing the tumbler mechanism and hereinafter called the tumbler-chamber and large enough to permit the bolt to slide back and forth therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lock that cannot possibly be forced and to this end the lock has a pivoted latch or twin latches and a bolt having plugs adapted to be inserted between the backs of the latches and iixed abutments at points between their head ends and their pivots, so that movement of the latches about their pivotal support is impossible.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide means for locking the latch or latches in the event of the absence from breakage or design of one or both of the plugs, and to this end the latch or latches are provided with tailpieces, and the bolt is provided with a recess for receiving them, so that when the bolt is shot they are held against movement and in turn hold the latches.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the features of novelty that are hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part of this specification, and in which Figure l is an elevation of a cardoor and a portion of the car with the improved lock applied. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section thereof on the line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing a modification. Figs. 4 and 5 are elevations of the lock with the faceplate removed, the former showing the bolt retracted and the latter showing it shot. Figs. 6 and 7 are sections thereof on the lines 6 6 and 7 7, respectively, Fig. 4. Fig. Sis an elevation of a fragment of the lock, showing more particularly the slot in the face-plate. Fig. 9 is an elevation of the stud.

'.he improved lock is applicable to sliding doors generally, whether when closed the door overlaps the jamb or abuts against it. In the drawingslhave shown both types. In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown the door 1 as overlapping the jamb 2 and a stop 3 for arresting it, while in Fig. 3 I have shown it as abutting against the jamb. The lock may be let into the inner face of the door. The knob 4 or other prehensible device for retracting the latches may be on either side of the door. Where the door overlaps the jamb, the stud 5 consists of a straight pin having a neck, an enlarged head, a flange, and a stem or spikelike portion that is adapted to be driven into the door-jarnb. (See Figs. 2 and 9.) here the door abuts against the face of the jamb, the stud will be as above described, excepting that it will be bent to L shape, substantially as shown in Fig. 3. I desire to have it understood, however, that the invention is not limited to these details, but comprehends any stud fixed in the'path of the lock and having its side presented thereto so that it enters the lock-case laterally.

The interior of the lock-case is divided by a partition 11 into a tumbler-chamber 12 and a latch-chamber 13, the partition being interrupted to provide an opening 14 just large enough to permit the passage of a reciprocable bolt 15, which may be moved back and forth by a key in the manner that will be apparent from an inspection of the drawings.

The invention is not limited to tumbler mechanism of any particular construction. As shown in the drawings, the tumbler mechanism consists of a single spring-pressed tumbler carried by a projecting portion of a bolt; but any mechanism adapted to cooperate with the bolt for locking it and to be operated by the key for unlocking it is within the scope of this term as used in this specification.

The end of the case is provided with an opening 16, and the face-plate is provided with a slot 17, registering therewith, so that as the door is completing its closing movement the stud 5 enters laterally and impinges against the inwardly-beveled heads 18 of twin latches 19, which are pivoted upona fixed pin 20. The position of the stud after passing the heads of the latches is indicated by dotted lines. It will be seen that there is considerable clearance between the end of the slot and the stud, the stop having arrested the door before the end of the slot reached the stud. Hence the lock is not subjected to any of the shock incident to the closing and stopping of the door. Ibelieve myself to be the first to suggest a lock-case having an opening in its end wall and a registering slot in its faceplate and a stud in the nature of a keeper presented laterally with respect to the lock, and I therefore desire to have it understood that my invention is not limited to the precise construction herein described, and shown in the drawings.

One of the latches is provided with a recess in which is placed a coiled spring 21, which has its ends attached to the latches, respectively, the spring being put under tension, so

that it tends to hold the heads of the latches together with a yielding force.

When it is desired to open the door and permit the lock to escape from the stud 5, the latches must be spread apart, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4. To do this, a rocker 22 is arranged between the latches at a point between their heads and pivot. This rocker is of non-circular shape, preferably rectangular, and disposed with its major axis parallel with the latches, so that when it is rocked or given a partial revolution about its axis its diagonally opposite corners will impinge against the inner faces of the latches and force them apart in opposition to the force of the spring 21. In order that the movement of the two latches shall be equal, the surfaces with which the rear end of the rocker contacts are cutaway or sloped outward, as shown at 23. If this were not done, since the rear end of the rocker contacts with the latches at a point nearer their center of motion than does the other, it follows that the latch with which the rear end contacts will be moved farther than the other. Another function of the rocker is to hold the latches in their normal positions relatively to the case. The spring for holding them in normal positions relatively to each other being carried by them and entirely independent of the case does not, as in former locks of this class, hold them in normal positions relatively to the case. This being so, without the normal engagement between the rocker and the latches or some part movable with them they would move together at random. For moving the rocker a knob 4, a lever 24:, or any other suitable device may be used and may be arranged on either side of the door. For elevator-shafts and other situations where it is desired to open the door from one side only the prehensible device is arranged on the inside of the door only. IVhen a knob is used, it may be mounted on a squared extension 25 of the rocker. WVhen a lever is used, it may be provided at one end with a ring 26, surrounding a circular boss on the rocker and provided with a pin 27, occupying a groove 28 in the end of the rocker. The rocker is provided with similar grooves in its opposite ends, so that the lever may be removed and reversed or changed from the position shown by full lines to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5, the case being provided in each side with a slot 29 for permitting the necessary sweep of the lever. The lock is thus right and left.

For locking the latches so as to prevent their being opened by the rocker or even being pried apart the part 15, having the accessories now to be described, is used. This part is herein called a bolt, because of its analogy to the bolts of many other locks. It has a main body portion, a portion 30, which projects into the tumbler chamber and adapted to be engaged by the key for ad vaneing and retracting it, and two arms 31, which project into the latclrchamber and lie in the planes of the latches 19, respectively. Their ends are fashioned into plugs 32, which are preferably of wedge shape, their outer faces being flat and adapted to slide on iixed abutments 33, while their inner faces are slightly oblique and adapted to engage the corresponding oblique outer faces of the heads 18 of the latches. As shown in Fig. 4:, the bolt is retracted and the plugs 32 are out of the paths of the heads of the latches, leaving the latter free to move back and forth between the position shown by full lines and the position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 5, the bolt is shot and the wedgelilze plugs are in engagement with the heads of the latches, so that it is impossible to move them apart either by means of the rocker or by prying. The bolt is provided with a longitudinal recess 34, having parallel sides, and each of the latches is provided with a tailpiece 35, which tailpieces when the bolt is shot project into the recess with an easy lit. This also prevents the spreading of the latches, so that should one or both of the arms 31 be broken off or omitted the lock would still be operative. The recess 34 is of such depth that when the bolt is retracted the ends of the tailpieces will be in position to be engaged by shoulders 36 when the latches are spread, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4. This insures an equal movement of the latches from their normal positions.

What I claim as new is- 1. The combination with a sliding door and doorway, of a lock having a latch located wholly within the boundary of the door and movable in a plane parallel with the door, means for yieldingly holding the latch in normal or engaging position, and a stud located on the frame of the door and wholly outside of the doorway, said stud being arranged in the path of the latch and having its side presented thereto so that as the door is closing the stud engages the latch laterally, substantially as described.

2. The combination with asliding door and the doorway of a lock having a latch located wholly. within the boundary of the door, a pivot carried by the door and arranged perpendicularly to the plane thereof, means for yieldingly holding the latch in normal or engaging position and a stud arranged on the frame of the door, wholly outside of the doorway, said stud being perpendicular to the plane of the door, and in the path of the latch whereby itis presented to the latch laterally, substantially as described.

3. In a lock for sliding doors, a casing having means for admitting a stud presented to it laterally as the door closes, the combination with a stud disposed transversely to the direction of the movement 01'' the door, means carried by the casing for engaging autoinatically the stud and means adapted to be operated manually for releasing the stud, sub stantially as described.

4. In a lock for sliding doors the combina tion of a casing, having an opening in its end and a longitudinal slot in its face-plate registering therewith, a stud disposed transversely to the direction of movement of the door and in position to enter said opening and slot laterally as the door is closing, and means within the casing-for preventing the stud from escaping from the slotuntil released manually,sub stantiall y as described.

5. In a lock for sliding doors, a casinghaving in its end an opening and in its face-plate a slot registering therewith, a stud adapted to enter said opening and slot laterally as the door is closing and a springpressed latch adapted to prevent the escape of the stud until said latch is retracted manually, substantially as described.

6. in a lock for sliding doors the combination of a casing, a pivoted springpressed latch, and a reciprocable bolt having a plug adapted to enter between the latch and a fixed abutment at a point between the head end of the latch and its pivot, substantially as described.

7. In a lock for sliding doors, the combination of a casing, a pivoted, spring-pressed latch, and a reciprocable bolt havinga wedgeshaped plug adapted to enter between the latch and a fixed abutment at a point between the head end of the latch and its pivot, substantially as described.

. 8. in a lock for sliding doors, the combination of a casing, pivoted, spring-pressed twin latches having heads, and a reciprocable bolt having plugs adapted to enter between the heads of the latches and fixed abutments, substantially as described.

9. ln aloclc for sliding doors, the combination of a casing, pivoted twin latches having heads, means for yieldingly holding the heads together, and a non-circular rocker disposed between the latches at a point between their heads and their pivots, said rocker being adapted when partially rotated to spread the latches, substantially as described.

10. In a lock for sliding doors, the combination of a casing, pivoted, springpressed, twin latches having tailpieces, and a reciprocable bolt having a'recess adapted to receive said tailpieces when the bolt is shot, substantially as descril ed.

11. In a lock for sliding doors, the combination of a casing, pivoted, spring-pressed, twin latches having tailpieces, and a bolt having a recess adapted to receive said tailpieces when the bolt is shot, and having also shoulders adapted to engage said tailpieces when the bolt is retracted and the tailpieces spread apart, substantially as described.

12. In a lock for sliding doors, acasing having an internal partition dividing its interior into two chambers, one for containing the tumbler mechanism and the other for contain ing the latch mechanism, said partition being interrupted to provide an opening just sufficient to permit the passage of the bolt, sub- 1 stantially as described.

IRA N. S'WEET.

Witnesses:

JOHN K. NEWHALL, JOHN M. RAYMOND. 

